Stirrup.



V. SJEDDLEMAN.

I STIRRUP.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 25, 19127 1,O52,327. Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

YKfiEdd/emaw V. S. EDDLEMAN.

STIRRUP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912,

1,952,327. Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WjEdaZZemam MZ WW/ VICTOR S. EDDLEMAN, OF HOLLENBERG, KANSAS.

STIRRUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4,1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR S. EDDLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hollenberg, in the county of WVashington and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stirrups, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a detachable stirrup.

The invention embodies, among other features, an actuating member which can be detached from a stirrup casing, connected to the saddle by a stirrup strap, when the rider is thrown, thus preventing the foot of the rider from being twisted or strained which often happens when the stirrup member is not detachable, thus securely holding the foot of the rider at the moment he is thrown and preventing him from entirely releasing himself from connection with the saddle. With my device, at the moment the rider is thrown, the particular position taken by the foot will cause the stirrup member to become detached so that if the horse should run awav the rider will not be dragged along the ground. I

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device, showing the same in initial position, the cover of the casing having been removed to show the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the device in final position with the actuating member partially removed from the casing; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 4 is a view looking at the upper end of the actuating member; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking member.

Referring more particularly to the views, I employ a stirrup casing 10, preferably rectangular in shape and having secured to the upper end thereof a U-shaped member 11 adapted to receive a strap 12 for connecting the casing 10 to the usual saddle.

Pivotally mounted in the casing 10 is a locking member 13 having a knob 14: formed thereon, adjacent the point of pivotal connection with the casing 10, an expansible helical spring 15 being mounted to encircle the knob 1a with the other end of the spring encircling a knob 16, located oppositely to the knob 14 and formed with the casing 10. The locking member 13 terminates at the lower end thereof in a head 17, provided with a hook-like member 18 formed with the head 17 to provide a groove 19, the head 17 being provided with a fiat surface 20 for a purpose that will hereinafter be more fully disclosed.

A stirrup frame 21, having an actuating member 22 mounted to swing thereon, is arranged to close one end of the casing 10, a stirrup 23 having rigid connection with the frame 21 and depending therefrom as shown. A roller 24: is journaled on the free end of the actuating member 22 and extends into the casing 10, the upper end of the actuating member being bifurcated so that the roller 24: can be properly journaled thereon, an expansible helical spring 25 being mounted to engage the upper end of the actuating member 22 and having an end thereof abutting against the inner end of a shank 26 extending upwardly from the frame 21 and into the casing 10, the said shank being adapted to be engaged by the head 17 of the locking member 13, the free end of the shank being provided with a hook 27 adapted to extend into the groove 19 with the hook member 18 of the locking member 13 adapted to extend into a groove 28 formed in the shank 26 adjacent the hook 27 thereof.

A releasing member 29 is mounted to slide vertically in the casing 10, with an end 30 thereof adapted to extend through an opening 31 in the upper end of the casing, the mentioned releasing member 29 having formed therewith acam head 32 adapted to engage the surface 20 on the head 17 of the locking member 13. The releasing member 29 is reduced near the'upper end to form a stop flange 33, the said stop flange being adapted to abut against the casing 10 to limit the upward movement of the releasing member 29, the lower end of the releasing member being enlarged to form a head 34 adapted to be engaged by the roller 24 journaled on the actuating member 22, as mentioned heretofore.

In the use of the device, when the stirrup frame 21 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the said stirrup frame 21 will be rigidly retained in engagement with the casing 1.0, the locking member 13 being held against movement by the releasing member 29, the head 17 of the locking member being in engagement with the shank 26 0f the stirrup frame 21. Now when the rider is thrown, the foot will naturally swing forward on the stirrup 23 and a portion of the foot will then engage the lower end of the actuating member 22, thus swinging the same forwardly against the action of the spring 25, the upper end of the actuating member being movable rearwardly so that the roller 24:, engaging the head as of the releasing member 29, will actuate the releasing member to remove the cam head 32 from contact with the surface 20, thus permitting the spring 15 to act and operate the locking member 13 to disengage the head 17 thereof from the shank 20. It will now be seen that the releasing member 29 will slide upwardly in the casing 10 by the impetus imparted to the releasing member by the roller 24 operating over a surface of the releasing member and the releasing member will also be moved upwardly by the action of the spring 15 which causes the inclined surface of the head 17 to operate over the inclined surface of the cam head 32, thus furthering the upward sliding movement of the releasing member. Now by referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that at the moment the locking member 13 is disengaged from the shank 26, the stirrup frame 21 will gravitationally move outward and become disengaged from the casing 10, the stirrup 23,

however, being still engaged by the foot of the rider so that as the rider falls the stirrup 23 will fall with him to the-ground.

The U-shaped member 11 is preferably provided with a cut away portion 35 for the accommodation of the upper end of the releasing member 29, and a plurality of expansible helical springs 36 are provided on the frame 21 to engage edges of the casing 10 when the frame is arranged to form an end of the casing, the springs 36 being arranged to cushion the stirrup 23 and frame 21 relatively to the casing 10 so that there will be no rattling or jarring of the frame 21 and stirrup 23 relatively to the casing 10, it being further seen by referring to the views that a cover 37 is provided to form a part of the casing 10, an edge of the said cover being engaged by one of the springs 36.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, r

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a casing, of a spring-actuated locking member mounted to swing therein, a stirrup frame for removable connection with the casing to form one end thereof, a shank on the stirrup frame releasably engaged by the said locking member, a releasing member mounted to slide in the said casing and normally engaged by the said locking member, an actuating member on the said stirrup frame, a roller on the said actuating member and movable therewith to engage an end of the releasing member and actuate the same to release the said locking member from engagement with the said shank, and a stirrup on the said stirrup frame, the lower end of the said actuating member being arranged to normally lie within the plane of the said stirrup.

2. In a device of the class described, the combinationwith a casing, of a spring-engaged locking member mounted therein, a stirrup frame for removable connection with the said casing, a shank on the stirrup frame and engaged by the said locking member, a releasing member slidably mounted in the casing and engaging the locking member to retain the same in engagement with the said shank, and an actuating member movable on the stirrup frame to engage the said releasing member and actuate the same to release the locking member from engagement with the said shank.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a casing, of a stirrup frame detachably connected thereto, a stirrup member on the said stirrup frame, means in the said casing adapted to be engaged by the said stirrup member to unlock the stirrup frame from the casing, and springs on the stirrup frame and engaging the easing when the stirrup frame is connected thereto to cushion the said stirrup frame relatively to the said casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR S. EDDLEMA N.

Witnesses J. T. LEWIS, L. E. CLAPP.

Washington, D. G. 

